AAA games can be fun but they usually take up a lot of space on the drive. If, for whatever reason, that’s an issue for you, come and take a look at our list of some cool lightweight titles instead.
The hardware keeps getting better and so the games become bigger and more complex to fully utilize available technology to provide players with the best and most complete gaming experience possible. There’s also less incentive for big companies to optimize the game and reduce its size, as it’s assumed that most people won’t have issues with a large game anyway.
Modern AAA games can easily take over 100 GB of storage space. Although the price per GB of storage went down significantly over the years, there are still some valid reasons why people would prefer to pick games with low storage usage instead.
Factors Determining the Appeal of Low-Storage Games
The cost of storage devices is extremely low these days but going for the bigger games means you’ll be able to have much fewer games installed simultaneously; it can take as little as 10 of the most recent AAA games to fill an entire 1 TB drive, which can be troublesome if you’d like to keep all the games you like installed and ready to play at any moment.
Huge games are also more painful to download, especially if you don’t have a fast and stable Internet connection. On top of that, the installation process takes longer, and the loading times inside the actual game can also be more noticeable and annoying.
If you compare it all to some small indie game, there’s a day and night difference, so it’s not hard to imagine why low-memory space games are still so popular and in high demand.
If you’re interested in checking out some amazing games that don’t use a lot of storage, here are our recommendations.
| Game | Release | Developer | Trailer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dead Cells | 2017-05-10 | Motion Twin | |
 | Stardew Valley | 2016-02-26 | ConcernedApe | |
 | Terraria | 2011-05-16 | Re-Logic | |
 | The Binding of Isaac Rebirth | 2014-11-04 | Nicalis, Inc. | |
 | Undertale | 2015-09-15 | tobyfox |
Undertale
| Release date: | 2015-09-15 |
| Genre: | Indie |
| Developer: | tobyfox |
First on the list we’ve got Undertale – a seemingly simple game with a captivating story and lots of variety in terms of gameplay.
Undertale is mostly a lighthearted top-down role-playing game but definitely not a typical one. Each combat encounter can be a unique experience, as new elements are introduced as you play.
It can be a turn-based battle or it can have some kind of minigame included, so you won’t ever feel like you’re repeating the same actions over and over throughout the game. Furthermore, the story has different outcomes based on your actions, encouraging doing multiple playthroughs.
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Terraria
| Release date: | 2011-05-16 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Re-Logic |
Terraria is a surprisingly fun 2D sandbox game that offers way more content and replayability than you would’ve expected from a title that takes so little storage space.
The game combines survival and exploration inside a sandbox package with hundreds of items to find, craft, and utilize during play. Explore randomly generated worlds and unique structures, make a garden, go fishing, complete exciting raids, and clear ancient dungeons.
Build a base, craft powerful equipment, beat mighty bosses, and delve deeper underground to find the rarest resources and push the game progression further – the possibilities are endless.
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The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
| Release date: | 2014-11-04 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Nicalis, Inc. |
Roguelikes are perfect games when you’re looking for something that doesn’t take up too much space, mainly thanks to their high replayability potential.
The Binding of Isaac is a roguelike game focused on dungeon exploration. As you go through a randomly generated maze of connected rooms, you’ll meet tons of different types of enemies that need to be dealt with. They can be fast and they can shoot at you or explode, but you’re not defenseless.
You’ll find a lot of useful power-ups that can make you stronger or give you extra abilities to overcome the challenges. Combine all of that with grotesque aesthetics and smooth, responsive controls, and you get a little masterpiece you wouldn’t want to miss.
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Stardew Valley
| Release date: | 2016-02-26 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | ConcernedApe |
Taking care of your own piece of land can be a refreshing experience, and you don’t even need that much space to enjoy the farm life.
Stardew Valley gives you a unique opportunity to try your hand at farming. It’s a casual-friendly title and a perfect choice to relax after a stressful day.
Farm, grow different plants, make friends in the nearby town, and attend the festivals that change with each new season. Restore the farm to its former glory and build your wealth with hard, honest work.
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Dead Cells
| Release date: | 2017-05-10 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Motion Twin |
For the final game on the list, we’ve got something for all of the metroidvania enjoyers out there.
Dead Cells is a game that combines metroidvania and roguelike genres with a strong emphasis on fast-paced arcade-like combat to blow off steam. As you play, you’ll find all kinds of weapons to try and customize your character to suit your playstyle. Finding your favorite items and making the right upgrades is vital, as the combat is rather difficult and requires some skill to emerge victorious, especially during the boss fights.
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Summary
Games that are small size are an interesting alternative to bloated and sometimes overly complex AAA titles as they’re quicker to download and install, have better loading times, and you can play them on much weaker systems. They’re more convenient to play and are better suited for short gaming sessions if you don’t have much time to spend.
You can also store a lot more of them on your storage devices, which means a much bigger selection of ready-to-play games for more variety and less boredom. Choose your favorite lightweight video games and jump right into action.